She was born on August 16th, 1943 in Chicago, IL where she also grew up. The youngest of her family, Nancy is preceded in death by her mother and father, Vanda and Fred Stennfeld, as well as her siblings June, Donnette, LaFern and Fred. She is survived by her husband Phillip Gustafson, her four children Jennifer, Wendy, Erik and Sara Gustafson, and her 3 grandchildren Sydney and Kelli Eye, and Arielle Rybchinskiy, two son-in-laws Chris Norris and Aleks Rybchinskiy, and a daughter-in-law Carrie Gustafson.
Nancy graduated from Luther High School in Chicago in 1961, and was married to her lifelong soulmate Phillip Gustafson on October 31, 1964. She leaves behind the legacy of a devoted wife, loving and supportive mother, a loyal and dear friend, a follower of Christ, and a true matriarch who prioritized family and togetherness, and cherished her role in upholding traditions and celebrating life and love for every calendar holiday, especially Christmas.
Nancy had unwavering faith in the Lord, and was an active member of Bethany Lutheran Church since 1990 where she sang in the choir, volunteered, cooked and made friends every Sunday. She loved horses, bowling, Chicago style hotdogs, Elvis, Neil Diamond and Josh Groban, tea parties with her granddaughters, dates with her husband to PF Changs and their 60 year long tradition of morning coffee and reading the newspaper together. She is famous for her annual Christmas newsletters and Swedish meatballs, feeding anything and anyone that “looks hungry”, her care packages, and singing “Happy Birthday” to your voicemail.
Nancy was a true friend to everyone who met her, and reliable to all who knew her. She taught us all about love, emotional stamina, selflessness, and faith. The way she looked at her husband after 60 years was the same as the way she looked at him the first night they met; like she was the luckiest woman alive. Well, unless she was rolling her eyes during his performance of “Dad jokes”.
She carried her children’s burdens, healed their pains, and held steady in all of life’s challenges; and this is her greatest gift that will last for many generations yet to come because the love she taught is the love we will forever know as our truth, and thus pass on for all to experience. She touched far more lives than she could ever, ever imagine.
In lieu of flowers or gifts we instead request a donation dedicated to the memory of Nancy, to Meals on Wheels Central Texas where Nancy was a dedicated volunteer for years
https://www.mealsonwheelscentraltexas.org
To reach out to the family, send an email to [email protected].
Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service for Nancy on May 24th, 2024 at 11:00am. Service will be held at Bethany Lutheran Church located at 3701 W Slaughter Ln, Austin, TX 78749. Inurnment to follow at Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Memorial Park located at 6300 W William Cannon Dr, Austin, TX 78749 at 2:00 PM.
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